Mother's hand
by archeress of silverbow
Summary: For Terriejane's 'Anna and Mr Bates Weekend Challenge about Mrs Bates' set in an AU somewhere towards the end of 1.07


"Mr Bates, there's someone here to see you." Mrs Hughes walked into the servants hall with every bit of the commanding stride that his Lordship had upstairs "I've shown her into my sitting room"

_Her?_ If it was Vera... He concealed something that was either anger or terror behind a pleasant smile as he rose to his feet, giving the housekeeper a slight nod

"Thank you Mrs Hughes" He followed her back down the corridor, mind working at full speed. How had she found him? His mother wouldn't have told her, no-one else knew she existed exactly But Vera was cunning, she could have found him. Ah, Anna, what would she do to Anna? As Mrs Hughes pushed open the door he squared his shoulders, determined to keep his temper for the start at least.

As it was, he found himself rendered mute by the sight of not vera, but his mother sitting in the spare chair

"Good afternoon John"

He ducked his head in awkward greeting "Mother"

Mrs Hughes broke the silence, though he could feel her eyes flicking between them "I'll have some tea sent in."

His mother answered "Thank you, that's very kind." She was distracted, but there was more warmth in that sentence than Vera could every manage when she was concentrating.

She waited until the housekeeper's steps had faded away before speaking, answering the question which was plain in her son's eyes. "I thought it better you heard this news in person, where only I would be witness to your reaction. Sit down Johnnie."

He sat, quickly, impatiently "What is it?"

"Your Vera's dead."

"What?"

She held his gaze, as she gave the answers he demanded with that look. Oh they could have made an officer out of him, if they had wanted to "She's not been faithful, been hanging around with other men from your old regiment. Two of them got into a brawl, she was caught in the middle, knifed. It was very quick. When she was recognised as your wife they came for me, closest next of kin."

He'd dropped his head into his hands as she was speaking, and she stopped, trying to read him. His shoulders were still, but she'd known him cry almost without breathing.

"Johnnie lad?"

He lifted his head, looking at her "I will have to mourn her, as is proper, yet all I want to do is dance, then ask Anna to marry me." His eyes were bright and twinkling "Your son has no proper decorum."

She tried to put on a stern face, well aware that her eyes might give her away to similar sentiments. Then, with a gentle clattering, the tea arrived, carried by a red-headed maid. She stood up and relieved the girl of the tray "Thank you dear."

With a small smile the girl bobbed a half curtsey, a curtsey to her, and left. She set the tray on the table, making the tea with easy motions.

"I'm a free man"

She passed him the cup making "Yes, you are... And I'm staying here, until I see you wed again."

He froze mid-sip "Mother! That could be two months... Where... how?"

"I've a room at the pub in the village, it will do to be getting along with."

She saw his realisation that she would not budge "You're a stubborn one, aren't you."

"Does the pot call a kettle black?"

Johnny had done better than she'd expected, finding her a temporary lodging with Mrs Crawley, who in typical knotty upper class fashion, was the mother to the heir of the whole pile. He'd even, by some cleverness, culled off the mourning significantly, due to the their separation, and the fact that few knew he had been married. Now all she had to do was get him to actually propose to that Anna. She shook her head, the man who had brashly marched off to war, was actually shy.

"Are you eating with us tonight?"

She turned to see Joseph Molesly, one of john's friends from before the war, looking at her "No, no, I'm up at the house tonight." She checked the clock, realising that his question was a prompt on the time and picked up her hat before accepting the shawl he held out. Ever the valet.

The servants hall was all dinnertime bustle when she arrived, the smells of good cooking filling her nose, and chatter in her ears. There was talk of a travelling fair having set up on the green, of making a party to go down. She nudged her son "Why don't you take Anna down there?"

He gave her an exasperated look "I've asked her..."

"He has, Mrs Bates, but I've got to hem my spare dress tonight, and it's in a mess" Anna sat down on her son's other side, lifting the offending piece of fabric from her lap. She lent over and pulled it away from the girl

"I'll do it."

Anna sat there mute, "But Mrs Bates..."

"Anna, the day I can't do a decent hem is the day before I'm measured for a coffin, now eat your dinner, then get out." She cracked half a smile "Or I'll chase you... with a broom."

Johnny swallowed a laugh, and the sour faced ladies maid who sat opposite spoke up, a twitch in her lips "That's Irish for do as you are told, in case you hadn't guessed."

Aisling pulled out the small folds of paper from the board box it lived in, then passed it to Anna "Open it, this is for you."

The young woman unfolded it to reveal a silver charm of flowers on a neck chain, which she stared at before returning those blue eyes to her own face "I can't take this... You've already done so much, the cloth for the dress, making it... You can't afford it."

She touched her nose "I can afford more than I let on... There's nothing but love involved in this, it was my mother's, and her's before that. Passed down on wedding day each time. It was never Vera's"

"Then I can't, I didn't ask for it, it's too much." Anna all but shoved it back at her. In response she took it, moving behind the beautiful girl to put it on

"Nothing is too much for you, Anna. If you wanted the moon to be your night lamp, I'd make a bargain with the feay folk to get it for you, without a second thought." She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, moving so they were face to face, then cupped Anna's cheek "I have never seen my Johnny so full of light and life as when he talks about you... Aih, you've even got him into a church for the first time in years."

Anna's eyes sparkled at that, with tears or merriment she couldn't tell.

She nodded "Now go there, and make my son the happiest man alive." She reached up, pressing a kiss to the young forehead "_Rath Dé ort, iníon_"


End file.
